Legislative Watch 
LEGISLATIVE
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7/16/04-Gov. Bob Holden has signed a bill into law addressing various transportation issues.
Among the provisions included in the new law is a requirement for drivers to turn on their headlights in the rain. Drivers also will be required to flip on their lights during periods of fog when wipers aren’t necessary. Violators would be subject to a $10 fine.
The new law, previously SB1233, also includes a section outlawing the unauthorized use of devices that can change some traffic signals from red to green. The traffic-light changers currently are used by some emergency personnel. Violators could receive a fine of up to $500 and/or six months in jail.
Another provision is intended to document and discourage racial profiling in the state. It would require law enforcement officers to record the race of every driver they stop, not just those whom they ticket.
One other section of the new law requires photos on all drivers’ licenses, with an exception for those individuals objecting on religious grounds. Exempt drivers would have to prove they have been U.S. citizens for five years and have their photo taken and kept on file, though their pictures would not appear on the license.
State lawmakers sent the bill to the governor in late May after deleting a section that would have allowed law enforcement to stop and cite drivers merely for failing to wear seat belts. Under current law, officers can issue seat-belt citations only if they stop drivers for another traffic violation.
